10.01. David Bowie

The following morning, after I wrote in the night about the good Joni Mitchell… I got up, very tired of course, only because my eldest child starts school way too early every God blessed day…
Yeah, well.
I was sitting there with a coffeecup, scrolling my Facebook stream, and. A message from the son. That his father had died. 10.of January. two days after his 69.birthday, where he also relesed his album number 28 I think it was, or 29.?

David Bowie. He struggled with cancer the last 18 months. Very few knew.

He is of course an icon, a legend and a unique artist, who has helped us understand the world and our selves these last 50 years or so. He is different from everything and all. In his use of theatrical characters from album to album. Showing us that self presentation is all about masks and costumes and plays with lines and scenes, and that we can create our personas freely, and over and over again play with or change our identity, or at least our personalities… self enactment? Is that a word?

Myself I have never gotten that deeply into Bowies music. Ok, hits like Rebel Rebel, and Major Tom to ground control… (that album was great all the way through… ) But it didn´t grip my soul like for example Roger Waters´ “Amused to death” did… maybe I was just a tad bit too young for Bowie…

It is fantastic that he celebrates his birthday with an album release 08. of Jan, knowing he is dying, and then gets soaring reviews Saturday and leaves earth on Sunday. Elegant, is the word I am tempted to use. Not that he planned it, maybe not. Though who knows? But.

He went through with his project, and then he let go.

Although, his producer says that Bowie demoed five new songs for another album… so he hadn´t drawn his creative full stop.
I hope they will allow those demoes to come out.
Let me give you the music video of his new album´s title track:

In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
​
On the day of execution, on the day of execution
Only women kneel and smile, ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, at the centre of it all
Your eyes, your eyes
​
Ah-ah-ah
Ah-ah-ah
​
In the villa of Ormen, in the villa of Ormen
Stands a solitary candle, ah-ah, ah-ah
In the centre of it all, in the centre of it all
Your eyes
Ah-ah-ah

Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar)
​
How many times does an angel fall?
How many people lie instead of talking tall?
He trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar, I’m not a gangstar)
​
I can’t answer why (I’m a blackstar)
Just go with me (I’m not a filmstar)
I’m-a take you home (I’m a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I’m not a popstar)
And your sedatives, boo (I’m a blackstar)
You’re a flash in the pan (I’m not a marvel star)
I’m the Great I Am (I’m a blackstar)
​
I’m a blackstar, way up, on money, I’ve got game
I see right, so wide, so open-hearted pain
I want eagles in my daydreams, diamonds in my eyes
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar)
​
Something happened on the day he died
Spirit rose a metre then stepped aside
Somebody else took his place, and bravely cried
(I’m a blackstar, I’m a star’s star, I’m a blackstar)
​
I can’t answer why (I’m not a gangstar)
But I can tell you how (I’m not a film star)
We were born upside-down (I’m a star’s star)
Born the wrong way ‘round (I’m not a white star)
(I’m a blackstar, I’m not a gangstar
I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar
I’m not a pornstar, I’m not a wandering star
I’m a blackstar, I’m a blackstar)

In the villa of Ormen stands a solitary candle
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes
On the day of execution, only women kneel and smile
Ah-ah, ah-ah
At the centre of it all, your eyes, your eyes
Ah-ah-ah

Wow.

“Something happened on the day he died. Spirit rose a metre and stepped aside.”

“he trod on sacred ground, he cried loud into the crowd” …

“Just go with me (I’m not a filmstar)
I’m-a take you home (I’m a blackstar)
Take your passport and shoes (I’m not a popstar)
And your sedatives, boo (I’m a blackstar)
You’re a flash in the pan (I’m not a marvel star)
I’m the Great I Am (I’m a blackstar)”

A man facing his death wrote this. I cry when I meet this movie.
It really touches me. And I feel respect for his way of expressing his facing with his body´s end, like this. In melody and words. And in theatrical film on top of it, himself being the lead character.
Come on. How strong can a human get? Not much stronger than David shows us here.

I so want to know what that disturbing shaking means. And Blackstar.

Well.

Things come and go, and we must trust that all is as supposed to be.

To me this video is about Syria. Our new planetarian emergency situation.

Seems (to me) he only managed to get two videos made for his new album.
This is the one I saw first:

Lyrics:

Lazarus (David Bowie)

Look up here, I’m in heaven

I’ve got scars that can’t be seen

I’ve got drama, can’t be stolen

Everybody knows me now

Look up here, man, I’m in danger

I’ve got nothing left to lose

I’m so high it makes my brain whirl

Dropped my cell phone down below

Ain’t that just like me

By the time I got to New York

I was living like a king

Then I used up all my money

I was looking for your ass

This way or no way

You know, I’ll be free

Just like that bluebird

Now ain’t that just like me

Oh I’ll be free

Just like that bluebird

Oh I’ll be free

Ain’t that just like me

That video makes me cry as well. Not because I was a huge fan of David´s. I wasn´t really. I just knew he was great. But here. Making these videos as a dying man. Allowing us to look into his eyes.
So intense. Both sound and words. And him. Never seen anything like this. So grateful.

Also in several of the posts in the category Vocal Sound Therapy I write about death… how I had a client who was dying, the meeting with her. http://kaltwasser.dk/crossed-over/

And in a later post, I wrote about how I would like to help people in their death process… to work in hospice maybe…

Anyways.
David he does something very special in giving us this album. Accept my deepest thank you, David.

I have read a lot of analyzing articles these last few days about his album. And life. In the light of his passing.

Here is the one that has given me the most. It is alas in Danish. Maybe it will get English subtitles later.
His is a name to notice. A pop musician turned spiritual teacher. Lars Muhl. His site Cosma Porta has many videos in English also.

Here he speaks about David, and his last two videos. In context of Jungian archetypes. especially that of Lazarus.

​Yeah… very interesting, what he has to say… Don´t want to translate into English here and now. Just watch that space. Lars Muhl. Worth listening to. About a lot of things to do with spirituality.

I will finish this post with a couple of his eminent songs, that I remember from growing up:

Lyrics:

You’ve got your mother in a whirl
She’s not sure if you’re a boy or a girl
Hey babe, your hair’s alright
Hey babe, let’s go out tonight
You like me, and I like it all
We like dancing and we look divine
You love bands when they’re playing hard
You want more and you want it fast
They put you down, they say I’m wrong
You tacky thing, you put them on